Oil and gas tech will do more to reduce emissions than disinvesting from the sector
The business leader responsible for nearly $540 billion of Canadian pension investment has no plan to sell off interest in companies just because they’re involved in oil and gas. The critical task of reducing global emissions will require the skills of people inside these companies, according to John Graham, CEO of Canada Pension Plan (CPP)…
The Sportage sits five adults in relative comfort. If you fold down the seat, you get a reasonably flat floor
The Kia Sportage was into its third overhaul in 2012, including a major facelift and a larger four-cylinder engine. The first generation of Sportage, introduced to North America in 1993, had a less than stellar reputation. Despite featuring body-on-frame construction, with significant engineering input from Mazda, its various shortcomings almost finished Kia’s foray into SUV…
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Trudeau, it’s that he has a habit of dancing with the devil
The Trudeau government’s most recent scandal, involving RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, raises many questions and has produced few answers. In particular: Did the federal government pressure Lucki to do their bidding during a terrible shooting that rocked our country to its very core? On April 18 and 19, 2020, lone gunman Gabriel Wortman went on…
But it could turn out to be the wisest approach to follow
Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable Dwight Eisenhower I was recently invited to present my views on Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy in discussion with Asian ambassadors in Ottawa. I noted that it’s better not to hold one’s breath waiting for a government policy document. That’s why Canada’s preferred foreign policy approach in normal times is…
But filtering our anger through our spirituality becomes a powerful force for good
Anger can be a powerful force for good. It can also be extremely destructive, both to ourselves and the world around us. The key is to understand the anger within and to direct it in a way that will bring about positive change. Anger comes from a place of fear. We know deep inside that…
Not taking a vacation is harmful to your health and your business
I was about to take a six-month vacation from my business and my team leaders Rachael and Carmel were a little surprised – and perhaps a little nervous – when I told them they would be in charge. The business had been open for five years, but the truth was I was making more money…
Native studies, environmental science grad Lauren Comba now better able to respect Indigenous stories
Watching the Inuit film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner several years ago, Lauren Comba found herself riveted by its ancient story. Written, directed and acted entirely in the Inuktitut language, the 2001 landmark award-winning film retells an Inuit legend passed down through centuries of oral tradition. The film’s narrative was a part of history Comba had never heard…
Episode #15 continues our Decarbonization series, the second of three featuring David Yager (bio below). The series was produced by KEI Network for Troy Media. We welcome your comments below. David Yager David Yager is an oil service executive, entrepreneur and long-time writer. He has worked in the oil industry since 1970, and from…
Ottawa’s non-existent profile in Indo-Pacific affairs a cause for concern and disappointment
If Canada has pretensions to being an Indo-Pacific power, then it has a difficult image problem to overcome – not in terms of its national reputation as a constructive and valued member of the international community, which are “a given,” but in terms of its “presence” and “engagement” with this pivotal region. While it is…
There were five failed armed Fenian incursions into Canada between 1866 and 1871
University of Toronto historian David A. Wilson has an interesting new book called Canadian Spy Story: Irish Revolutionaries and the Secret Police. It’s a detailed examination of a mid-19th-century episode that had the potential to turn Canadian history upside down. And Wilson makes a credible case that the danger wasn’t entirely farfetched. Following the conclusion…
The deep divisions in Canada’s labour market have taken on heightened urgency
The onslaught of COVID-19 in March 2020 led to one of the most dramatic economic shutdowns in Canadian history. Millions of people lost their jobs – especially women working in vulnerable sectors, such as restaurants and hotels. Now that Canada has entered its post-pandemic-recession phase, many women are getting back into the paid workforce, but not…
It is the only way to ensure that future crises are managed better
Increasing numbers of Canadians are demanding a national, independent investigation into government mismanagement of the COVID-19 outbreak. Because governments themselves would be the subject of such an investigation, its conduct would need to be assigned to a non-governmental commission whose commissioners possess the experience, expertise and personal integrity necessary to render their findings credible with…
Survivors of forced sterilization and coerced contraception meet with researchers to share stories
Survivors of forced sterilization and coerced contraception from Canada, Peru and Indonesia will gather with academic researchers at a summit in Edmonton this summer to share stories, heal through art and ceremony, and set an agenda for change. The full extent of reproductive control practices around the world is not known, but they have been…
UX strives to make complex devices easy, from computing devices to cars, ATMs, airplanes and more
The importance of user experience (UX) has exploded in the era of ubiquitous personal computers, tablets and smartphones. Poor UX is a major reason apps and websites deliver disappointing business results. UX is the discipline that strives to make complex devices easy to use. Outside of computing devices, it applies to everyday objects, including cars,…
Findings could help beef producers manage grasslands for economic and environmental benefits
A sweeping project co-led by University of Alberta researchers will provide the most comprehensive mapping ever of how much carbon is being stored in perennial grasslands across Saskatchewan. The resulting data from the $3.2-million initiative will help cattle farmers there – and eventually all across Canada’s prairies – manage their land to keep as much…